Altering network transmitted content data based upon user specified characteristics

ABSTRACT

A system for converting content data transmitted over a computer network from a first computer to a second computer is disclosed. Content data comprising text or audio data is input into the first computer. The content data is digitized to produce digitized content data. If the content data comprises audio data, the data is digitized through a speech to text process. Parameters controlling the modification of the digitized content data are received from a user of a second computer. The parameters are input into a graphical user interface provided for the user and dictate output voice characteristics such as, gender, expression, accent, and language. The digitized content data is altered in accordance with the content data output characteristics specified by the user, and then provided to the second computer for output as modified voice data.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates generally to computer networks, andmore specifically, to a system for transforming data transmitted over anetwork through characteristics specified by a user.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The basic functions of a computer network are to transmit,exchange or store data transmitted among computers coupled to thenetwork. Most network implementations use a computer network simply as apoint-to-point system to route and channel information among thenetworked computers. Some processes, such as compression or encryptiontechniques that speed transmission rates or enhance transmissionsecurity may be implemented on the transmitted data. In general,however, relatively little processing is performed on most data once itis transmitted from the sending terminal. Data is typically processed atthe sending terminal and transmitted to the receiving terminal in itsprocessed form. Standard network transmission systems therefore do notprovide flexibility or opportunity for a receiver or third party totransform or process the data according to the receiving party's needs.

[0003] Present communication systems also typically do not provideeffective mechanisms in which the relative location of various users isreflected in the audio output of characters representing the users in anetworked game or other application.

[0004] What is needed, therefore, is a system that allows transmittedcontent data to be processed or transformed according to a receiver'sneeds after it has been generated and transmitted by a sending terminal.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0005] It is an object of embodiments of the present invention toprovide an improved content data output system that enhances interactivecomputer applications, such as networked video games and chatapplications.

[0006] It is a further object of embodiments of the present invention toprovide audio output that reflects the relative physical location ofusers as they are distributed in the network.

[0007] A system for converting content data transmitted over a computernetwork from a first computer to a second computer is disclosed. Contentdata comprising text or audio data is input into the first computer. Thecontent data is digitized to produce digitized content data. If thecontent data comprises audio data, the data is digitized through aspeech to text process. Parameters controlling the modification of thedigitized content data are received from a user of a second computer.The parameters are input into a graphical user interface provided forthe user and dictate output voice characteristics such as, gender,expression, accent, and language. The digitized content data is alteredin accordance with the content data output characteristics specified bythe user, and then provided to the second computer for output asmodified voice data. In one embodiment, the relative locationinformation of the users in a network is determined. This locationinformation is used to further modify the audio output from charactersrepresenting the users.

[0008] Other objects, features, and advantages of the present inventionwill be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the detaileddescription that follows below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] The present invention is illustrated by way of example and notlimitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which likereferences indicate similar elements, and in which:

[0010]FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a computer network systemthat implements embodiments of the present invention;

[0011]FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a network that includes acontent data conversion process for text data, according to anembodiment of the present invention;

[0012]FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a network that includes acontent data conversion process for voice data, according to anembodiment of the present invention;

[0013]FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating the processing of datathrough the voice conversion process illustrated in FIG. 3, according toone embodiment of the present invention;

[0014]FIG. 5 illustrates a character profile setup input screendisplayed in a graphical user interface system, according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

[0015]FIG. 6 illustrates a networked game environment in which user gameconsoles communicate over a network, according to one embodiment of thepresent invention; and

[0016]FIG. 7 illustrates a networked game environment in which user gameconsoles communicate over a network, according to an alternativeembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0017] A data conversion system for processing downloaded content over acomputer network is described. In the following description, forpurposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. Itwill be evident, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art, that thepresent invention may be practiced without these specific details. Inother instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in blockdiagram form to facilitate explanation. The description of preferredembodiments is not intended to limit the scope of the claims appendedhereto.

[0018] Aspects of the present invention may be implemented on one ormore computers executing software instructions. According to oneembodiment of the present invention, server and client computer systemstransmit and receive data over a computer network or standard telephoneline. The steps of accessing, downloading, and manipulating the data, aswell as other aspects of the present invention are implemented bycentral processing units (CPU) in the server and client computersexecuting sequences of instructions stored in a memory. The memory maybe a random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a persistentstore, such as a mass storage device, or any combination of thesedevices. Execution of the sequences of instructions causes the CPU toperform steps according to embodiments of the present invention.

[0019] The instructions may be loaded into the memory of the server orclient computers from a storage device or from one or more othercomputer systems over a network connection. For example, a clientcomputer may transmit a sequence of instructions to the server computerin response to a message transmitted to the client over a network by theserver. As the server receives the instructions over the networkconnection, it stores the instructions in memory. The server may storethe instructions for later execution, or it may execute the instructionsas they arrive over the network connection. In some cases, thedownloaded instructions may be directly supported by the CPU. In othercases, the instructions may not be directly executable by the CPU, andmay instead be executed by an interpreter that interprets theinstructions. In other embodiments, hardwired circuitry may be used inplace of, or in combination with, software instructions to implement thepresent invention. Thus, the present invention is not limited to anyspecific combination of hardware circuitry and software, nor to anyparticular source for the instructions executed by the server or clientcomputers.

[0020]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computer network system that can beused to implement a data transmission and conversion, according to oneembodiment of the present invention. The system 100 of FIG. 1 enablesthe transmission and conversion of content data. The term “content data”in the context of the specification and claims shall be understood torefer to any type of downloadable data, which may consist of any one oftext data, video linear streaming data, such as motion picture data inMPEG or MPEG2 format; linear audio streaming data, such as music data inMP3 format; binary program data; voice data; or any combination of suchdata or similar data. In general, content data does not include servicesor data that are used solely to provide access to a network, such asbrowser software or protocol handlers whose main function is only toestablish a network connection.

[0021]FIG. 1 illustrates a computer network system 100 that implementsone or more embodiments of the present invention. In system 100, anetwork server computer 104 is coupled, directly or indirectly, to oneor more network client computers 102 through a network 110. The networkinterface between server computer 104 and client computer 102 may alsoinclude one or more routers. The routers serve to buffer and route thedata transmitted between the server and client computers. Network 110may be the Internet, a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Local Area Network(LAN), intranet, extranet, wireless network, or any combination thereof.

[0022] In one embodiment of the present invention, the server computer104 is a World-Wide Web (WWW) server that stores data in the form of‘web pages’ and transmits these pages as Hypertext Markup Language(HTML) files over the Internet network 110 to one or more of the clientcomputers 102. For this embodiment, the client computer 102 runs a “webbrowser” program 114 to access the web pages served by server computer104. Additional web based content can be provided to client computer 102by separate content providers, such as supplemental server 103.

[0023] In one embodiment of the present invention, server 104 in networksystem 100 includes a download service management process 112 that isconfigured to handle download requests from a user. Access to the server104, which may comprise one of several servers, is facilitated typicallythrough a router on network 110 which directs requests to the downloadmanagement server. When the server 104 receives requests from a user,the server executes a download of requested content from a contentsdatabase that is stored internally or externally to the server. Alongwith processing requests for downloading of content data, the server 104may also retrieve the requesting user's customer data from a customerdatabase and attach it to the requested primary contents or use it tomodify content or transmission parameters for particular users. Thisdata is then transmitted via the network 110 by means of a knownnetworking protocol standard, such as the file transfer protocol (ftp).

[0024] In one embodiment of the present invention, wherein network 110is the Internet, network server 104 also executes a web server process116 to provide HTML documents to client computers coupled to network110. To access the HTML files provided by server 104, client computer102 runs a web client process (typically a web browser) 114 thataccesses and provides links to web pages available on server 104 andother Internet server sites. It should be noted that a network system100 that implements embodiments of the present invention may include alarger number of interconnected client and server computers than shownin FIG. 1.

[0025] The network 110 is normally a bi-directional digitalcommunications network that connects the user's terminal hardware withthe download management server provided on the server side of thesystem. With current technologies, a CATV (cable television)bi-directional network, ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network), DSL(Digital Subscriber Line), or xDSL high-speed networks are examples ofexisting network infrastructures enabling the necessary networkconnections for implementing embodiments of the present invention.

[0026] The client computer of system 100 may comprise a personalcomputer that includes a modem or network adapter, or it may comprise anetworked game console (entertainment system) that utilizes a detachablestorage medium therein, and a TV monitor or any other suitable displaydevice connected to the game console. The modem or network adapter is adevice that is used to connect the client's terminal hardware, e.g., agame console, for connection to the network 110. For example, if network110 is a CATV network, the modem may be implemented as a cable modemdevice; and if network 110 is an ISDN network, the modem may beimplemented as a terminal adapter.

[0027] The server can supply digital content such as voice data, musicclips, full-length audio and video programs, movies, still picture data,and other similar types of content. The content might further comprisepromotional or advertising data associated with the primary content,such as movie previews, demo games, sample data, and other similar typesof content.

[0028] In one embodiment, network system 100 includes a conversionsystem that transforms or processes the data transmitted from the serverto the client to improve the user interface and quality ofentertainment. For the embodiment in which the transmitted datacomprises voice data, the conversion system can be used in various IPtelephony, network chat, video game, or 3D virtual chat applications,among others.

[0029]FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a network that includes acontent conversion process, according to one embodiment of the presentinvention. For the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the datatransmitted from the server comprises text data 201 generated by aserver computer and transmitted to a client computer over a network 210.The text data is output converted into voice output through adigital-to-analog (D/A) converter 208 coupled to the client computer.The conversion system 202 includes a conversion process 204 and areceiver preference database 206. In one embodiment, the conversionsystem 202 is resident within the client computer. Alternatively, theconversion system 202 can be included within a separate computer coupledto the network and the client computer.

[0030] The conversion process 204 includes circuits or processes thatconvert the input text data to output data, as well as processes thatmodify or transform the characteristics of the text data. For example,for voice output, the conversion process can be used to control variouscharacteristics such as, tone, accents, intonation, and effects, such asecho, reverberation, and so on. For speech output, the conversionprocess can control characteristics such as language, dialect,expression, and so on. For example, the conversion process 204 mayinclude a translator that translates speech in one language to anotherlanguage. The conversion process can also include processes that mimicthe voice characteristics of well-known characters or personalities.

[0031]FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a network that includes acontent conversion process for content data that comprises voice data,according to one embodiment of the present invention. For the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 3, the data transmitted from the server comprisesvoice data generated by a server computer and transmitted to a clientcomputer over a network 310. The voice data 302 is first input throughan analog-to-digital (A/D) converter 302 for conversion into digitalform. The voice packets can be addressed in one of several ways,including Unicast, Multicast, or broadcast format.

[0032] Alternatively, if the voice data includes data that is firstinput into the server computer, the data can be digitized prior to inputto the server computer. For example, a microphone or other input meansmay include an A/D converter to convert the voice data to digital formprior to input to the server computer. The digitized voice data is thentransmitted over network 310 for further processing by voice conversionmeans 312.

[0033] The voice of the transmitted data can be changed and sent toother assigned user(s) over the network using a protocol such as Voiceover IP (VoIP). The voice can be changed based on various factors suchas virtual character talk parameters, or user provided preferences. Thedigitized voice data is transformed into output voice data at the clientcomputer through digital-to-analog (D/A) converter 304. The digitizedvoice data output from A/D converter 302 is processed through conversionsystem 312. The conversion system 312 includes a voice conversionprocess 314 and a conversion rules database 316. Alternatively, thedigitized voice data can be converted to analog form after output fromthe client computer through an external D/A converter. Such a D/Aconverter may be incorporated into speaker, headphone, or other soundoutput systems that receive digital audio output from the clientcomputer.

[0034] The voice conversion process 314 comprises processes that alteror modify the digitized voice data output from A/D converter 302 in theserver computer into converted voice data to be output from D/Aconverter 304 on the client computer. FIG. 4 illustrates the basic flowof data through the voice conversion process illustrated in FIG. 3,according to one embodiment of the present invention. In flow diagram400, audio data 402 represents the digitized voice data that is outputfrom A/D converter after input into the server computer through an inputdevice, such as a microphone. The digitized audio data 402 is convertedinto text data 404 through a voice recognition process that convertsdigitized audio data to equivalent digital text data. The text data 404is then processed by a text conversion process 414 to produce convertedtext data 406. This converted text data 406 is then processed through avoice synthesis process 416 to produce audio data 408. The audio data408 comprises digital audio data that is input to D/A converter 304 forconversion to analog voice to be output through speakers on the clientcomputer.

[0035] The text conversion process 414 includes several sub-processesthat alter the original voice data to change the voice as it is playedback on the client computer. Such changes can include modification ofthe original voice tone, accent, intonation, and so on. The textconversion process can also include processes that alter the substanceof the input data, such as language translation (e.g., English-French)or dialect translation. Primarily, the text conversion process altersthe expression of the original voice data. The expression shows acharacter's personality or attribute (e.g., male or female or childspeaker), character's circumstance or environment (e.g., in a tunnel,cave, etc.), the character's condition (e.g., excited, sad, injured,etc.). The text conversion process can also include special effects thatalter the input voice data, such as Doppler effect, echo, and so on.

[0036] In one embodiment of the present invention, the characteristicsthat dictate how the voice data is converted are provided by aconversion rules process 316. The rules process 316 specifies severalparameters used by the voice conversion process 314 that are used toalter the input voice data. The voice rules process 316 includes userprovided character profiles. In one embodiment, the character profilesare entered by the user through a user interface provided on the clientcomputer.

[0037] The character profile can be used to tailor the voice that adisplayed character speaks with in applications such as video games,educational programs, interactive applications, text-to-speech programs,and the like. The character talking voice is determined by fundamentalparameters, such as frequency, waveform, etc.). The voice conversionprocess shapes the basic waveform to produce a converted voice thatcorresponds to the selected character profile. In one embodiment, a usercan set the profile for the character.

[0038]FIG. 5 illustrates a graphical user screen that illustrates acharacter profile input display. The character profile set up displaywindow 500 includes several user selectable input fields that the usercan change to alter the characteristics of the voice output. The userfirst selects the gender of the character that will recite the playbackvoice. As shown, the user can select a man's voice or a woman's voice.Other voice type characteristics can also be provided, such as child orbaby. Various voice characteristics are also provided, such as age,sociability, activity, intelligence, and masculinity. Each of thesecharacteristics shapes the voice playback parameters. For example,choosing an older age or increasing the masculinity generally lowers thevoice. The sociability, activity, and intelligence characteristicsgenerally affect how active and articulate the playback voice isportrayed.

[0039] For the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, the usercharacteristics are displayed as bar slides that the user can movethrough an input device, such as a mouse, to select a relative value forthe respective characteristic. It should be noted that various otherinput methods could be provided, such as numerical value entries,percentage value entries, and the like.

[0040] In an alternative embodiment, the character's talking voice canbe created based on each pre-set characters profile. For thisembodiment, the rules process 316 can include a user specified databasethat stores certain parameters or data entries for various variables ofthe voice data. For example, database parameters could include valuesthat dictate the gender of the output voice, language, expression, andso on. Through the use of such a database, the voice data output on theclient computer could, for example, be set to speak in English in a malevoice with an English accent.

[0041] In one embodiment of the present invention, the voice conversionprocess is implemented in a distributed interactive game systemcomprising a plurality of networked games coupled among two or moreusers. FIG. 6 illustrates a networked game environment in which usergame consoles communicate over a network, according to one embodiment ofthe present invention. A first user game console 605 is coupled tonetwork 608 through a cable modem 606. For this embodiment, network 608is typically a cable TV (CATV) network. Also coupled to game console 605is a speaker pair 604 for voice output, and a microphone 602 for voiceinput. A second user game console 607 is coupled to network 608 througha cable modem 612. A microphone 614 and speaker pair 616 is coupled tothe game console 607.

[0042] In system 600, a server computer 610 may be coupled to network608. The server computer can perform a variety of functions, such asgame monitoring, providing game or application programs, managing useraccounts, and the like.

[0043]FIG. 7 illustrates a networked game environment in which user gameconsoles communicate over a network, according to one embodiment of thepresent invention. For system 700, the network 708 comprises theInternet, and the first game console 705 is coupled to the second gameconsole 707 through Voice over IP gateways 706 and 712. Each gameconsole is attached to a speaker 704, 716, and microphone 702 and 714set, respectively.

[0044] For the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the outputvoice characteristic depends upon user information. In this manner, eachuser participant (player) can have a different voice assigned to hischaracter or terminal. It is assumed that each user controls a characterthat is displayed on the terminal of each game console. Thecharacteristics of the character's voice can then be determined based onthe location of the user to whom the character belongs. For example,assuming each game console has a left and right pair of speakers, theoutput voice volume ratio of the speaker pair is set based on thedirection of the sender location. This provides some spatial effect ofthe voice relative to the location of the speaking character. The volumecan also be changed based on the distance between the sender and thereceiver. Alternatively, when a plurality of users is communicating withone another, each user's voice is assigned to each speaker based ontheir location.

[0045] The user location determination process is included in the voiceconversion process as a means of altering the voice of a characterplayed back on a user game console. In this process, the directionor/and distance between the sender and the receiver is calculated andthe volume ratio of the left-right speaker pair is set based on thecalculated data. In the case of surround-sound environment in whichmultiple speakers are coupled to a console, the other speakers are alsoconsidered.

[0046] In one embodiment, user location information for a plurality ofnetworked game players is determined by using address information foreach of the players. Address information can be stored in a databaseprovided in each game console.

[0047] The address or location information may be provided by using thetelephone number for each player. In this case, the area code provides arough approximation of a user's location relative to the other users. Anaddress database related to telephone numbers is stored in the memory ofeach terminal. A particular user's terminal receives a sender'stelephone number and retrieves the location based on the telephonenumber. Using the retrieved location data and the user's own locationdata, the receiver terminal calculates the direction or/and distance.

[0048] In an alternative embodiment, the location information can beprovided using a personal database stored in each game console memory(e.g., secondary memory). For this case, each user has to input theother user's addresses in advance. Zip code information could be used toprovide reasonable approximations of user locations. The information isstored in a memory location of the game console. When a connectionbetween users is established, ID information (e.g., user ID, telephoneNo., etc.) is sent to each user. Using the ID information, the userlocation is retrieved in each personal database and the direction and/ordistance is calculated based on the user location.

[0049] Instead of storing user location information in each gameconsole, the address information for a group of networked users can bestored in a central server, such as server 610 in FIG. 6. For thisembodiment, the server stores the addresses or location information (zipcode, area code, etc.) for all of the users in a database. The directionand/or the distance are calculated based on the stored user informationin the server. The server sends each user direction and/or distanceinformation for the other users. Each individual user terminal then setsthe volume ratio or whole volume based on the location information. Forthis embodiment, voice data is sent to each user through the server.

[0050] It should be noted that the process of altering the data inaccordance with output voice characteristics can be implemented eitherin the server (data sending) computer, the client (data receiving)computer, or a network server computer coupled to the server and clientcomputer. Each computer capable of altering the transmitted data wouldhave associated with it a voice or text conversion means, such as thatillustrated in FIG. 4. Such a conversion means could be implemented inhardware circuitry coupled to the computer, a software program executedby the computer, or a combination of dedicated hardware and softwareprocesses. Moreover, the database storing the various voicecharacteristics for each associated client computer or character withina client computer can be stored locally in each client computer orcentrally in a database accessible to a network server computer.

[0051] Depending upon where the output alteration process is performed,the steps of transmitting, altering, and receiving the data can be donein various different step sequences. For example, the data can be firsttransmitted from the server computer, altered in the server or othercomputer, and then received by the client computer. If the alterationprocess is performed by the client computer, the process can beperformed by first transmitting the data from the server computer to theclient computer, receiving the data in the client computer, and thenaltering the data in accordance with the specified outputcharacteristics.

[0052] Besides game or entertainment programs, the voice conversionprocess described in relation to FIGS. 6 and 7 can be used in variousother applications involving speech content transmitted among aplurality of users. Examples include chat room applications, Internettelephony, and other similar applications.

[0053] In the foregoing, a system has been described for modifyingtransmitted content data based on user preferences. Although the presentinvention has been described with reference to specific exemplaryembodiments, it will be evident that various modifications and changesmay be made to these embodiments without departing from the broaderspirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of modifying content data transmittedfrom a first computer to a second computer over a bi-directionalcommunications network, comprising: specifying output characteristics tobe associated with the content data upon output by the second computer;transmitting the content data from the first computer to the secondcomputer over the network; and altering the content data in accordancewith the content data output characteristics to produce altered contentdata.
 2. The method of claim 2 further comprising the steps of:receiving the content data in the first computer; digitizing thereceived content data to produce digitized content data; transmittingthe digitized content data to the second computer over the network;altering the digitized content data in accordance with the content dataoutput characteristics; transforming the altered digitized content datato a form capable of output from the second computer; and outputting thetransformed altered digitized content data from the second computer. 3.The method according to claim 1, wherein the received content datacomprises text data input into the first computer.
 4. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the received content data comprises voicedata input into the first computer through a microphone coupled to thefirst computer.
 5. The method according to claim 4 wherein thetransformed altered digitized content data comprises audio outputtransmitted through speakers coupled to the second computer.
 6. Themethod according to claim 5 wherein the content data outputcharacteristics include parameters that alter characteristics associatedwith the voice output from the second computer, the outputcharacteristics comprising at least one of character gender, charactercondition, character environment, and language.
 7. The method accordingto claim 5 wherein the content data output characteristics are input bythe user of the first computer through a user interface.
 8. The methodaccording to claim 5 wherein the content data output characteristics areinput by the user of the second computer through a user interface. 9.The method according to claim 5 wherein the content data outputcharacteristics are stored in a database residing in memory coupled tothe second computer.
 10. The method according to claim 5 wherein thefirst computer is coupled to a plurality of client computers over aninteractive network, and wherein each user of a client computer isassociated with a character represented in a program executed on eachcomputer, each character having associated therewith a specific contentdata output characteristic, the method further comprising the steps of:determining a relative location of the user characters in an environmentdefined by the program; altering the output characteristics of theoutput audio depending upon the location of each character associatedwith each of the users.
 11. The method of claim 10 wherein each of theclient computers includes a left and right speaker pair, and wherein theoutput characteristics comprise a relative volume ratio of output fromthe left and right speakers.
 12. The method of claim 10 wherein therelative location information for each of the users is stored locallyfor each of the users.
 13. The method of claim 10 wherein the relativelocation information for each of the users is determined by a relativephysical location of the users with respect to the interactive network.14. A system coupling a two or more computers over a bi-directionalnetwork, and configured to modify content data transmitted from acomputer over the bi-directional communications network, the systemcomprising: means for specifying output characteristics to be associatedwith the content data upon output by a second computer of the two ormore computers; means for transmitting the content data from a firstcomputer of the two or more computers to the second computer over thenetwork; and means for altering the content data in accordance with thecontent data output characteristics to produce altered content data. 15.The system of claim 14 further comprising: means for receiving contentdata in the first computer; means for digitizing the received contentdata to produce digitized content data; means for transmitting thedigitized content data to the second computer over the network; meansfor altering the digitized content data in accordance with the contentdata output characteristics; means for transforming the altereddigitized content data to a form capable of output from the secondcomputer; and means for outputting the transformed altered digitizedcontent data from the second computer.
 16. The system according to claim14, wherein the received content data comprises voice data input intothe first computer through a microphone coupled to the first computer,and wherein the transformed altered digitized content data comprisesaudio output transmitted through speakers coupled to the secondcomputer.
 17. The system according to claim 16 wherein the content dataoutput characteristics include parameters that alter characteristicsassociated with the voice output from the second computer, the outputcharacteristics comprising at least one of character gender, charactercondition, character environment, and language.
 18. The system accordingto claim 17 further comprising graphical user input means for receivingcontent data output characteristics input by the user of the secondcomputer.
 19. The system according to claim 17 further comprisinggraphical user input means for receiving content data outputcharacteristics input by the user of the first computer.
 20. The systemaccording to claim 18 further comprising: means for determining arelative location of the two or more users coupled to the secondcomputer; and means for altering the output characteristics of theoutput audio depending upon the location of each character associatedwith each of the two or more users.
 21. The system of claim 20 whereinthe speakers coupled to the second computer comprise a left and rightspeaker pair, and wherein the output characteristics comprise a relativevolume ratio of output from the left and right speakers.
 22. A servercomputer coupled to one or more client computers over a bi-directionalcommunications network, comprising: a circuit to transmit content datato a second computer of the one or more client computers over thenetwork; a circuit to specify output characteristics to be associatedwith the content data upon output by the second computer; and a circuitto alter the content data in accordance with the content data outputcharacteristics to produce altered content data.
 23. The server computerof claim 22 further comprising: a circuit to receive the content datafrom a user; and a circuit to digitize the received content data toproduce digitized content data and transmit the digitized content datato the second computer over the network.
 24. The server computer ofclaim 23, wherein the received content data comprises text data inputinto the server computer.
 25. The server computer of claim 24, whereinthe received content data comprises voice data input into the firstcomputer through a microphone coupled to the server computer.
 26. Theserver computer according to claim 25 wherein the content data outputcharacteristics include parameters that alter characteristics associatedwith the voice output from the second computer, the outputcharacteristics comprising at least one of character gender, charactercondition, character environment, and language.
 27. The server computeraccording to claim 23 wherein the network comprises an interactivenetwork, and wherein the server computer and the one or more clientcomputers game consoles configured to execute interactive game software.28. The server computer according to claim 27 wherein the specificcontent data output characteristics are associated with respectivecharacters in the game software, each character associated with aparticular client computer of the one or more client computers.
 29. Theserver computer according to claim 28 comprising: a circuit to determinea relative location of the respective characters within the gameprogram; and a circuit to alter the output characteristics of the outputaudio depending upon the location of each character associated with eachof the one or more client computers.
 30. A server computer coupled toone or more client computers over a bi-directional communicationsnetwork, comprising: means for transmitting content data to a secondcomputer of the one or more client computers over the network; means forspecifying output characteristics to be associated with the content dataupon output by the second computer; and means for altering the contentdata in accordance with the content data output characteristics toproduce altered content data.